


Echos of Pale Among Shadows of Ash

by trickstersGambit



Series: Asteroidstuck [2]
Category: Homestuck
Genre: Ashen Romance, Asteroidstuck, M/M, Pale Romance, Renamed Characters, Species swap au, Troll Romance, tumblr asteroidstuck
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-06-22
Updated: 2012-06-22
Packaged: 2017-10-29 21:17:37
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,617
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/324265
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/trickstersGambit/pseuds/trickstersGambit
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>How Gamzee Makara gained a Moirail, in one universe, and an auspistice to protect him from the world in another.[discontinued. Please do not ask to pick this up.]</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Rage of the Indigo

**Author's Note:**

> I've been avoiding work in school by working on fanfictions. This one is one of my favorites, so far.  
> trickstersGambit and gingerFeline are registered pesterchum handles that are password protected. For the love of all that is good and holy, please do not use them, as we've had a hell of a time trying to stay connected on our own goddamned accounts. Thank you.

He’d liked Tavros from the moment he’d met him. Well, typed at him.

The clumsy, uncertain, shy way he typed made him want to be the calm rock in the sea of chaos that was the taurus’ life. When you boiled it down to the bones, Gamzee had pitied Tavros from the very first word on the screen. The first ‘uM’.

Which was why he reacted the way he did, when he heard about Tavros being injured-paralyzed- the way he had been, and who was responsible for it.

Gamzee Makara, known for being calm, content and even genuinely happy with everything life put before him, saw RED. Violent, angry, pulsating red that invaded his dreams and soaked through him.

He wanted to kill her. Rip her open and paint his walls in her pretty blue blood.

And it scared him.

He withdrew from his computer for weeks, raging at himself, at the world, at Vriska, at the people who could have stopped her but hadn’t. The people who could have controlled her but didn’t.

The computer chimed and Gamzee flinched, glaring at it accusingly as the pings continued to drop out of the Trollian program.


	2. How the Ash Rose

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jontan checks in, freaks out, and yammers on. Or. How Gamzee gained a few things to do with his free time other than think of creative ways of disemboweling Vriska Serket.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Jon's getting featured first. Stay tuned for news  
> Ithinkthisramblessorry

> TG: gamzee?
> 
> TG: are you there??
> 
> TG: we haven’t heard from you in weeks.
> 
> TG: i see you online. please come talk to me?
> 
> TG: gamzee?
> 
> TG: GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAMZEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE
> 
> TG: i’m worried about you gamz.
> 
> TG: oh heck! get ready, dude. you’re about to have your house invaded.
> 
> TG: you’re going to have company and you’re going to like it.
> 
> TG: or you won’t but i’ll be there anyway.
> 
> TG: see you soon
> 
> TG: :B !

 

The computer fell silent for half the night, and Gamzee swiftly returned to his pattern of rage-cola-rage-smash-rage, until the weak thumping at the door startled him. One set of five Two sets of five Odd. But he didn’t care. He stomped over to the door, throwing it open with a low, gravely snarl.

“WHAT?” he felt like he was burning up, heaving, and he loomed over the tiny troll, who seemed to swim in his clothes-clothes that bore a grey cancer symbol. Singless. The troll’s hood was pulled up, and he looked up at Gamzee with startled, wide eyes, from beneath the mop of messy hair.

“Gamzee?” he offered with a nervous giggle. “I got the right house, right? I mean I said I was coming and everything. Are you ok? You look pretty angry. and hurt.” his eyes roved the taller troll, assessing him for injuries, head cocked to the side.

“What have we here?” he said in a low, dark tone, causing the desired effect in the little troll, visible shivers coursing through it’s body. “LITTLE FUCKER COME FOR A SACRIFICE? i think you’ll make a great stand in for what I want to do.” the sounds alternated between low, smooth sounds to loud, roaring shouts. Jon shuddered, reaching up to touch gamzee’s chest-the highest the short troll could reach.

“S-s-s-shooooooosh.” he tried. “I know i’m not your moirail or anything but I think you need to calm down now. let’s calm down and talk and everything’ll be alright, ok?”

“motherfucker pities me.” Gamzee hissed, baring is indigo-stained teeth at Jon, leaning down to get on his level.”

“Not…quite the way you think? Um, Tav’s recovering and asked me to check in on y-” he yelped as he was snatched up and into the hive. ‘Oh shit oh shit! Gamzee’s going to kill me. He’s a high blood, but he’s my friend, but he’s so going to kill me oh shit!’ Those thoughts intensified when he was pressed against an inner wall, one of Gamzee’s claws, on the free hand, was tapping at Jon’s horn, a disjointed staccato that made Jontan whimper.

"CAN'T SAY I KNOW A FUCKIN GREY BLOOD." Gamzee said, contemplatively. "not even a blood colour." he whispered, peering at his victim as he dragged a claw down his cheek, watching bright candy red well and bloom in the wound. Jon's eyes widened in fear, and he tried to huddle in on himself.

"Don't cull me, please! Gamzee, we've been friends for SWEEPS. PLEASE!" he pleaded, a whine slipping in to his voice. He looked up at the gazelle horned capricorn,who's head tilted to the side like a curious bird.

"Pretty fuckin blood colour you've got there. Who are you?" he dragged Jon in with a quick jerk of his arm, throwing him into a wall before slamming the door shut. "I have eleven contacts and RED ain't one of them. SPEAK." he snarled, glaring down at Jontan with his teeth bared and eyes dark, ready to attack if he found want to.

"M-My name is Jontan Egbert You call me Jonbro I type in blue my screen name is trickstersGambit I'm five sweeps old as of two perigrees ago you sent me a cake recipe book as a gag and I promised I'd get you back on your wriggling day." Jon yammered in one breath, heaving in another before he moved on to the next desperate thought. "I KNOW hiding your blood colour is illegal but so is having mutant candy red blood and I wanted to be culled for something that was actually in my control, you know??" Another large gasp and a third run began.

"S-s-so if you're going to cull me highblood could you let me say goodbye to my moirail please he's been through so much and I don't want him to think I abandoned him by choice." Thick trails of diluted red ran down his cheek, dragging through the wound on one side, spilling the bright colour down his neck. "I shouldn't have come but tav was worried and he's so nice to everyone that I wanted to make him unworried by checking on you because you're important to him so I came even though I was scared and I guess I had good reason to be because you seem actually kind of mean now that you know what I've been hiding. or mad. Mean or mad. Or both. Oh gosh you hate me now."

Gamzee blinked, bewildered. He couldn't keep up with Jon's train of thought right now. It was enough to know that the little guy was a friend, and he was panicking. He watched the bird-boned troll shudder in his too-big clothing, huddled in on himself and squawking away like a baby feather beast.

"I-i-i-if you cull me I can't tell Tav that you're alive and that he shouldn't be worried and you're alright." his yammering became a keening caterwaul, punctuated with the uneaven beats of hiccups that grew bigger every moment.

The bigger troll found himself shifting foot-to-foot, frowning as he reached to put a hand on Jon's head. The uncomfortable sensation in the pit of his belly, something he didn't quite understand, grew a little bit when the smaller troll flinched.

"Chill, motherfucker. I'M NOT GOING TO CULL YOU. God." Jon whimpered, his active imagination dreaming up violent alternatives to culling.

"O-okay h-highblo-"

"Don't call me highblood, Jonbro." Gamzee tried, licking him up under the arms, finding the fine-boned troll to be as light as he looked. He raised Jon to his eyelevel and peered at him, then hugged him carefully, hooking his chin over Jon's head as though it was the natural thing to do.

It unnerved Jon.

"O-okay." the smaller troll eeked out, arms curled in against his chest.

"It's ok little bro." he soothed, hugging him, finding the action to be soothing for him too. "What's this, pale infidelity?"

"I-I-I just want everyone to be happy and you're a nice guy normally, so I came to see if you were alive, because you're my friend. Its' what friends do. I even asked Soll if I could come take care of you if you were hurt because of that. He said it was ok so I left and here I am and GOSH gamzee, you really scared me!" He was still shuddering, but he was calming down, which was good enough for Gamzee.

"He was ok with it?"

"yeah, best friends aren't the same as moirails, right?" He squeaked as Gamzee shifted his hold, cradling the smaller troll in the crook of an arm. Jon reached up and rubbed the side of his face, catching a claw on the wound with a yelp, tearing the cut and smearing blood and tears on his face like garish face paint. The boy caught sight of the red on his hand and quickly wrapped it in his shirt, whimpering and pulling his hood up over his horns, hiding inside.

Gamzee looked at him, then frowned at the wound, brows furrowed.

"Calm the fuck down." Gamzee drawled, hoping calming himself down would sooth the feather-beast of a troll down. He tugged John's hood back and peered at him, making sure he couldn't hide from him. "I said I'm not going to cull you, already. Just trust me. I wouldn't cull someone so small with no reason." he huffed, shaking his head.

Jon peered up at him, trying to wipe his claws on his shirt, trying to clear the offending red blood from his fingers and mind.

"Butcha can't go outside with  all that gutter blood on your face either." Gamzee felt Jontan flinch in his arms, and frownned. "Not that it ain't a pretty colour or nothhin, but you'd get killed and your Moirail might jusst cull me with his fuckin eye lasers." he made a pew pew sound, freeing one arm to point at the wall, two fingers stuck out and wiggling.

"Pew-pew~" Jon echoed, laughing loud and bright. The sound earned a broad grin from Gamzee and Jon decided it was a good  time to start talking about other things. "Are you... Are you alright, Gamz?You look all messed up and your face is really pale..."

"Nah, little bro. Aint no big thing. I'm fine."

"you're all bloody though." Jontan huffed, proddding a particularly nasty looking indigo-coloured blood splotch on Gamzee's hand, with the sleeve of his shirt. He didnn't want to get his mutant  blood on his friend, in case it passed on some kind of disease.

"Your face looks worse." Gamzee huffed, only teasing a little.

"Gee, thanks, clown." Jon rolled his eyes, scrubbing his hands in his sleeves, desperate to clean off the offending red."

"You're going to hurt yourself, little bro." Gamzee's hand shot out faster than either of them were aware he could move, and the taller troll pulled the hand gently, pulling it from Jon's sleeve with a clucking sound. "We'll get you cleaned up just chill, bro."

"I don't doubt it...but seriously. Are you ok? You seemed unnaturally angry when I got here. like...seriously." he paused. "Seriously pissed off."

"Vriska." Gamzee growled like it was all that needed to be said.

Jontan tried to match the sound, growling as viciously as he could, only managing to get Gamzee to chuckle at him.

"You sound like a tiny purr beast."

"I DO NOT!"

"You do. You totally do."

"GOSH that's MEAN!" the small troll threw his arms at eachother, swinging them up into a frustrated cross over his front, hands tucked in between his arm and his chest.

"Nah, little brother, it's good. You went and fuckin' cheered me up." Gamzee grinned, ruffling Jon's hair with a good natured laugh.

Jon thought about it, then let his mouth drop into an 'oh' shape. Both hands reached up and grabbed Gamzee's arm, tugging it gently. "HEY! If you're not gonna cull me or toss me to the beasts.... Wanna show me around? The only other hive I've ever been to is soll's and it's soooooooooo messy! Yours seems pretty clean except for the um..." he motioned to the indigo painting some of the corners of the walls around them.

Gamzee blinked, startled by the sudden barrage of words. Irritation prickled at the skin between Gamzee's horns and he made himself take a breath. Jon was being Jon, finally, and that was perfectly fine.

Perfectly.

Fine.

"Calm down, Jonbro."

"I mean you've got a huge, HUGE hive! you must have some pretty cool stuff. Like, you wouldn't leave all of th-"

"JONTAN CALM THE FUCK DOWN!" 

The redblooded troll squeaked and silenced himself, hands jerking his hood up over his head, staring up at gamzee around it with dinner-plate eyes and a silent nod to confirm his understanding.

"Good, now come with me, if you want your fucking tour." The highblood sighed, trying to smile to reassure the tiny troll. He turned down the hall, shoving one hand in his pocket, motioning to jon to follow with the other. The boy scampered after him like an obedient pet, jogging to keep up.

"I got horns in this room." Gamzee opened the first door, after the nutrition block, which seemed to be pretty self-explanitory thank you very much. 

several piles of horns scattered themselves across the floor, one or two rolling away from the door with half hearted honks, only to be scooped up by a gleeful Jon, who'd scooted past Gamzee. The bigger troll gave a mildly irritated grunt as Jon started honking them, giggling brightly. 

'Calm down' seemed to be a foreign concept for Jon, despite his precarious situation.

Jon brought his spoils back over to gamzee, honking two horns up at him with a large grin and care-free giggles. His eyes glimmered in such a delighted way, as he hugged the horns to his chest a second later, that Gamzee couldn't bring himself to continue to be frustrated. That grin was golden and infectious.

Gamzee grabbed a couple for himself, reaching around jon to scoop up three and start juggling them, making sure each of them honked their way through his hands. Jon's own pair joined in and made a cacophanous noise that would have irritated anyone else.

"These are SOOOOOOOOO COOL!" Jon chirped, bounding around the room, hopping from the squeeze of one, to the squeeze of aanother. "GOSH" he turned back at the end of the room, eyes gleaming with renewed trust. It was messy in there, but Jon was CONVINCED that anyone with such a large, whimsical collection of noise makers couldn't POSSIBLY hurt ANYONE.

"Yeah, they are, ain't they?" Gamzee grinned, rocking on his feet, lazily contiinuing his tossing of the squeaking horns, reveling in the bubbly laughter his friend was producing. 

"Are all your rooms like this? Filled with cool fun things like these?" he bounded back, missing a horn here, stumbling there, careening into Gamzee with a chirpy giggle. 

"Yep!" Gamzee laughd, catching Jontan, ignoring the horn thhat clattered to the ground, dropping another in favor of messing with the little troll clinging too his midsection. He tugged Jon's hood off, ruffling his hair between the backward sweeping, blunt horns. "Let's get moving" he guestured to the halway with the honk of his remaining horn, scooping a protesting Jon into an arm, loping down the hall. The both of  them growing happier in the others company. 

 _This is what friendship is supposed to be. You don't have to be moirails to take care of someone. What a silly concept._  Jontan smiled broadly, occasionally squeaking his horns, settling in to the hook of his friends' arm comfortably.

Doors were opened revealing piles of clothes, soda-pop, snacks, clubs, a few piles of wheels(Which puzzled Jon, for a moment)

The final door opened was Gamzee's personal respite block, and Jon peered in curiously, jarred by the brightly coloured posters on the walls. He blinked owlishly at them, then looked up at Gamzee, who shrugged a shoulder and set him down, peering out the window.

Jontan peered around the room, and squeaked, coming over to the husktop that seemed to have met with the business end of a club.

"OH GOSH. Gamz! What did you DO?"

"I made it impossible for her to get to me." he huffed, and jon frowned.

"Gosh. No wonder you were surprised when I got here! Wait...Her?"

"Vriska was trollin' me and wouldn't leave me the fuck alone." Gamzee growled, glaring at the pile of mess that was the computer. "So I bashed it so she couldn't get to me anymore."

Jon found something about that line of thinking incredibly wrong, but he wasn't about to tell Gamzee that. Instead he heaved a sigh and shook his head in sympathy to the little voice in the back of his head that represented Sollux.

 _That poor computer detherveth a better owner. It'th lothh will be mourned._  Jon giggled at the thought and shook it away, turning to Gamzee, giggling a little more.

"Oops, sorry Vriska. Didn't get your message." he tried to stifle the giggles, hooking his teeth over his bottom lip to bite some sense back into himself. 

Gamzee arched a brow at him, frowning.

"I hate her too." Jon confided, "She hurt Sollux, and he's my most important person. I want her to suffer for it." he seethed as much as something tiny and naturally happy could.

"You're black for her??" Gamzee gaped at Jon, face stretched and contorted in surprise. No one thought Jon was even capable of those feelings.

"NO! I don't find her attractive. It's not black!! I don't want to fill a pail with her. That's GROSS. She's a nasty meany head. I just want her to feel what she's made people feel! She needs to know that just because she's blue blooded doesn't mean she gets to treat other trolls with a 'lower'" air quotes "blood colour than her any different than she'd treat people in her same 'class'" air quotes. "because trolls are trolls. Just the same as everyone else. Fishy or or... Rusty!" he heaved, flailing his arms as he finished. "there's no difference between Peixis and Aradia and she went after Aradia!"

"You're too good a troll to be dealin with her, Jonbro." Gamzee sighs.

"Buh? I-I mean 'excuse me'?" it was Jontan's turn to gape, confused. Hardly anyone called him 'good' and meant it, with the exception being his Moirail.

"I mean, you think different than the rest of us. Like in blood colour and how equality should be a thing and shit."

"Well, Yeah! I mean we all go by like...Feferi is better than the rest of us because she has the same blood colour as the condesce, and it just cascades from there until there's nothing left for the people at the bottom, because everyone in the 'higher' blood colours is 'good-better-best'. It's not fair! Aradia was just as kind and sweet and smart as Feferi! Tav is just as pitiful and sweet as Eridan! Sollux is just as smart with technology as Equius. Everyone is pretty much the same--well you are. I'm just" the passion in his voice fizzled out and he picked at his sleeve. "I'm a mutant freak so it's a matter of ti--"

"You're too good for the rest of us, too. You're too good a motherfucker to be left to the drones for culling. You leave it to me, I'll protect you."

"You're not-"

"You're my best friend, best friend. I ain't had one before. Ever. No one's ever risked their life to come check on me before. My lusus is never home. You're the first person to make the treck out to see me in...I don't even know how long. You deserve to have someone lookin after you. More than one someone because you're always lookin after everyone else."

Jon gaped at him, blinking widely.

"But why did you... How we would you...Protect me?"

Gamzee was quiet for a moment, a thoughtful look on his face.

"Why do you type in blue?" he asked, flopping into a pile of random objects in his respite block, patting a spot next to him.

"Because," he motioned to the symbol on his shirt. "The typical grey of the whole cult-thing doesn't exactly feel like me." he sank down next to the bigger troll with a coo. "Pure blue just-"

"Fits you." Gamzee finished for him. "Like some kinda fuckin' miracle." 

"I...guess it's kind of miraculous? I don't know."

"This is the first time I've ever wanted to just toss my blood status around. You're such a pitiful little fuck, Jonbro." He laughed. "If you didn't already have a Moirail I'd take that quadrant."

"You need a different quadrant. I can put my hate aside and keep you from killing Vriska and anyone else that should pop up into that leaf. What did you mean throw your blood status around?" Jon frowned, twisting onto his side, looking up at you.

"Imma tell 'em I knew an' I told you to do it. If you get caught, then either it saves you, or you're not going to go down alone." He ruffled Jontan's hair, smiling at him. A frown touched his lips and he looked at the ceiling. "I know your psionic moirail knows, an' the condesce, well..."

"She uses psionics like husktops." Jon growled, anger at the idea showing bright red on his face. "Be-because they're different and lower on the hemospectrum. They can't fight back or they'll be killed! they just snatch them away and my..." he groaned, burrying his face in his hands.

A moment passed before Gamzee dropped a warm arm around Jon's shoulders, dragging Jon to his side, hugging him close. "Shhhh"

"but he's in danger! Because of me! They'll take him early if they find me out!"

"Shhhh little brother." Gamzee warbled soothingly, patting his back. "Soll bro doesn't know bout this worrying you're up and doin'?"

"he's got a lot to worry about on his own! He doesn't need this worry."

"I getcha, brother. Chill. I'll keep ya safe. Secret's safe with me." Gamzee smiled, patting Jon's head. "You go clubs for me, I'll go clubs for you."

"Oh that's just silly, Gamzee. I don't think it can be reversed like that."

"well, special circumstances. You need protection from the Condesce, the world needs protection from me, apparently." Gamzee offered. "Clubs?"

"Clubs." he nodded, smiling sheepishly. "Special circumstaces clubs."

It was quiet for a few minutes and Jon started dozing against his friend's side.

"Jonbro..."

"Mmhm?"

"You sleep like this?"

"Mmmmmhmmmm" he snuggled closer, wrapping his arms around the bigger troll, yawning.

"...how?"

"Jus stay here. you'll find out."

"You don't seep in sopor?"

"it makes me too drowsy. That leaves me too vulnerable. I gotta bolt at the first sign of danger. I could be killed 'cause 'm too slow. Rude an insultin to the people who saved me 'n' gave me a lusus." he murmured, nuzzling into Gamzee's side. "Rude to insult someone's pity."

"So why'd you come out here?" Gamzee looked down curiously.

"Because you an Tav are really friendly. Platonically takin' pity on me. Sweet an' calm an' stuff. e rude to spit in your face for it. You're my good," yawn "friends."

Gamzee nodded, leaning back, tugging Jon back with him. "Alright. I can accept that."

a few minutes later he frowned, peering at Jon. "Bro?" when Jon didn't answer he got a wicked idea.

Jon would wake up the next evening with a clown face. Perfect for hiding the red wound. He had to be the best friend in existence. There was no better friend than one willing to cover his own mistakes. 

When the sun set, and jon woke up, Gamzee didn't say anything. He simply offered to walk the little troll to Sollux's hive, dreaming of Soll's reaction to the grease paint he'd so kindly spread on their friends' face.

Not only that, but Jon had inadvertently offered him an idea as to how to control the crazies when Jon wasn't there to mediate.

He was a special kind of pitiful, Gamzee decided. The kind that made most everyone want to pity him. Happy, quick to pity and forgive.

Sollux was lucky to have that tinytroll.

He wondered if he'd be able to see all the miracles he'd make, in his life time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Karkat's chapter will mirror this with his own...special...Karkatty way.


	3. Adorabloodthirsty

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> How Karkat became the Moirail.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wanted to code this so bad but I can't figure it out. Here it is, in all it's uncoded-save-for-basic glory.

CG: MAKARA YOU PATHETIC EXCUSE FOR A TROLL!

CG: ANSWER YOUR FUCKING TROLLIAN.

CG: ALRIGHT, AS MUCH AS IT PAINS ME TO SSAY THIS, I'M ACTUUALLY WORRIED ABOUT YOUR DISGUSTINGLY PITIFUL MORONIC EXISTENCE.

CG: YOUD BETTER BE READING THIS YOU IDIOTIC BULGEBITER OF A CLOWN.

CG: GAMZEE!

CG: FUCKING ANSWER ME FUCKASS!

CG: FUUUUUUUUUUUUUCK.

CG: PARDON ME FOR BEING WORRIED ABOUT YOU. CLEARLY IF YOU WERE INTERESTED IN THE FEELINGS OF OTHER PEOPLE YOU'D GET YOUR PITIFUL ASS ON YOUR HUSKTOP AND START ANSWERING THE INEVITABLE ONSLAUGHT OF TROLLS GATHERING TO BEG FOR YOUR HIGH-BLOODED ATTENTION.

CG: FUCKING FINE!

CG: I'LL TAKE THE TIME OUT OF MY INCREDIBLY BUSY AS SHIT LIFE TO COME BY AND MAKE SURE YOU HAVEN'T FALLEN INTO THE OCEAN AND DROWNED.

CG: OR OFFED YOURSELF IN SOME FUCKING ACCIDENT BY FALLING OFF YOUR UNDOUBTEDLY TOO-TALL HIVE.

CG: YOU SHOULD BE GRATEFUL I'M FEELING SO MUCH FUCKING PITY THAT I'M WILLING TO MAKE THE GOD-DAMNED TRIP TO YOUR HIVE WAY OUT THERE BY THE OCEAN.

CG: I'LL BE THERE BY MIDNIGHT YOU MISERABLE SACK OF HOOF-BEAST EXCIMENT.

\-- Karkat had run there. Scrambling through the catacombs and over grassy hills, keeping close to the ground as possible with his sickles in hand.

Gamzee's hive loomed in the distance, and the small, nubby-horned troll, with all his hearing loss, could still hear the sounds of destruction from a thousand paces, on top of his perch in the ragged beach-grass covered sand-dune.

"Shitstain's being culled! Fuck fuck fuck!" it was the only explanation he could come up with for the sounds he was hearing.

Karkat slid down the hill, darting to the door. His hand tried the knob-Locked. His sickle went through the knob easily and with a flick of his wrist the lock slid out. His heel met with the center of the door and he kicked his way in, fully prepared to fight for his friend. 

But there was no enemy in sight. The only blood source in the hall was Gamzee's indigo, and that was rare. It was doubtful that there'd be another of his type in the area.

"FUCKING MAKARA! YOU'RE CAUSING A FUCK TON OF PANIC, YOU KNOW THAT? GET YOUR SORRY ASS OUT HERE." he snarled.

A growl rumbled from the back , the large, intimidating troll ambled out of the back, teet barred, club in hand.

"Whats' this mother fucker doing in my hive?"

"Cut the shit, you fucking know why I'm here, nooksucker." he snarled, voice louder than most would consider necessary, his eyes focused on the taller troll's mouth as the other spoke. "I sent you a whole fuck-ton of im's about coming over tonight. Don't play dumb."

"CG?"

"It's Karkat, you stupid fuck." he growled, slamming the dooor shut behind him. "Why the flying FUCK have you been ignoring your messages! You're freaking Tavros out and he DEFINITELY doesn't deserve that! You know that crippled shit begged me to come check on your pathetic ass?"

"You mean...tav..."

"The idiot pities you for some reason. What the fuck happened to your fist, and the rest of you! You look like crap." he stalked into the room, making to walk past Gamzee to do a sweep of the house.

The bigger troll grabbed him by the arm, digging his claws into the troll's neck.

"You could be fake." he hissed, snarling.

"Calm your fucking shit." Karkat growled, trying to tear the hand on his throat away. "Get off me you fucking asshole!"

The claws drew blood as they were torn away, and Gamzee held his hand up, peering at the colour on his fingers.

"Yes, I have crazy fucking mutant blood that makes me the most cullable little shit on all Alternia. Are you going to make it some big deal? 'CALLING ALL MOTHERFUCKING HIGHBLOODS. RARE CANDY-RED BLOODED MUTANT, HERO OF THE DUMBEST FUCKING CULT OF THE STUPIDEST SELF SACRIFICING MORON BLOOD MUTANT TO EVER SPEW WORD-SHAPED EXCREMENT FROM HIS PROTIEN CHUTE. Yes, let's all take a sample of the redest mutation for our dyes and paintings.' FUCK why did I even BOTHER to come here?? All you fucking highbloods are festering cancerous pustules living off the backs of the lower bloods." He snarled, tugging at his horns violently. His claws dug into the skin they were rooted in, red blood dripping through his hair and down his neck as he rambled on. 

"Even the ones who are SUPPOSED to be your fucking friends, because friendship CLEARLY doesn't require your friends to be alive. I swore to myself THE LAST TIME I made a friend with a bloody fucking moron of a high blood and they tried to kill me 'NO FUCKING MORE.' No, I'm too much of a fucking moron to know when to quit putting myself in dangerous situations. Here, let me save you the trouble of culling my miserable hide and just fall on my sickle." he lifted the thing, fully convinced he'd be dying in a moment anyway, and raised his face to stare at the clown. He was stunned to find that the clown was tilting his head to the side, grinning like a moron.

"You ARE the little angry bro! All wordy and shit." Gamzee laughed, tugging the sickle away, dropping it on the floor before scooping the tiny red-blood up in his arms, hugging him tight. "Why would I throw my best fucking friend to the other wanna be subjuglators?" he peered at him with an amused expression, slinging him around, nuzzling his grease-painted face into the smaller troll's messy black hair.

"You're the dumbest, WORST fucking friend on the face of the planet! Now put me on the goddamned ground you SORRY EXCUSE FOR A HIGHBLOOD." he hadn't seen a word the troll had said, and barely heard any of it, too busy smacking his feet into Gamzee's knees.

"Aww, growlly little brow. Chill out." he frowned, watching as the smaller troll tore at his horns again, his blunt little teeth bared in a poor imitation of agression. The action chilled the highblood, and he put a hand on one of Karkat's wrist, pulling his hands away from the blunt nubs. "You're gonna hurt yourself."

"Put me down nookstain or I'll show you how good I am with a thrice-cursed Scyth!" Fear was plain in the short troll's eyes, despite his deep scowl.

"Calm down." He carried the snarling troll to a room piled high with horns, dropping Karkat down on the pile unceremoniously. Gamzee's grin returned at the loud honks that filled the room.

"What the actual FUCK, you retarded piece of SHIT?" Karkat snarled, eyes widening as Gamzee flopped face first into the pile beside him.

"You came to check on me. Pretty cool of you, motherfucking best friend." Gamzee grinned, rolling to his side, grabbing Karkat, wrapping himself around the shorter troll, purring. "Distracted the fuck out of me. I was so pissed...." he laughed.

"What?" he tried to twist around, struggling to see Gamzee's face, hating the muffled sounds he was hearing. The purring was calming him, though. Maybe what Gamzee was saying didn't matter?

"Chiiiiill." Gamzee was grinning against the top of Karkat's head. "shoosh." he patted at Karkat's shoulder, snaking his arms around him.

Karkat didn't say a thing for a long time, trying to fume.

Gamzee was fine doing all the talking, starting with his reasons for being angry.

"She's such an entitled BITCH." He growled.

Karkat felt the sound in his bone and reached up to pat his cheek.

"You're doing the growly thing." He could almost hear himself. GOOD. He was being quiet.

"Sorry." Karkat didn't reply to the apology, snuggling against Gamzee with a huff.

"...Why are you so loud, little bro?" Karkat was silent, and Gamzee growled. Karkat froze, tensing up as though preparing to bolt.

Gamzee leaned up on his elbow, peering down at him, frowning. Karkat's eyes roved his face, settling on his lips.

"I'm not going to hurt you. You're just being frustrating."

"I can't hear you speak. You're too quiet." Karkat snarled. "Like you're whispering or some shit. Everyone's fucking whispering."

"Shit, really?"

Karkat squinted at Gamzee's mouth, then scowled. 

"Enunciate asshole. I can't read a damned thing you're saying." he scowled, smacking the clown on the forehead.

"You really can't hear me?"

"Mostly, no. Tell anyone and I'll eviscerate you." Karkat hissed, baring blunt teeth in warning.

"Awww, little bro's so fuckin' pitiful." Gamzee scooped him up in a hug, listening to Kar squawk indignantly. "Won't tell no one. So adorable."

Karkat scowled at him, placed the flat of his hand on the bigger troll's nose and shoved at him.

"ADORABLOODTHIRSTY." he snapped, rolling away from the pile. "Crap. I'm do-" he was scooped up again, deposited on the pile, and found himself with a lap-full of troll.

He wasn't going anywhere that night.

Shit. 

Well, on the upside, he apparently had one of his red quadrants filled? 

"...Gamzee..."

The troll looked at him, grinning lazily.

"Are we moirails or some shit, now?"

"Fuck yes." the spindly horned Capricorn nodded, almost catching Karkat in the eye.

"UGH YOU GOD DAMNED MORON. DO YOU WANT ME TO BE BLIND AND DEAF? I'LL BE CULLED FOR SURE. NO. NO I'LL FUCKING FALL ON MY OWN GOD DAMNED SCYTHE. NO WAY IN FUCKING HELL I'M LETTING SOMEONE ELSE DO A JOB THAT'S BY ALL RIGHTS MINE. FUCK."

Gamzee just laughed, making Karkat rage further.

He could forget his own problems when Karkat was involved. It could be all about Karkat and Gamzee had no problem with that.

He pitied the poor fuck pretty damned hard.


End file.
